Cory's Birthday
by dobegirl15
Summary: It's Cory's birthday and he's invited Shawn, Angela, and Katy Hart to the same place. Will Riley's master plan prevail? Or will Shawn want to rekindle his romance with Angela? (This was created in response to the GMW writers announcing the return of Angela- this is my take on what would happen.) Continuing story!
1. The Party Begins

**So I know that there will be an episode of Girl Meets World (season 2) where Angela comes back. I don't know what the writers plan for that, but this is what I think would happen. This takes place at the end of season 1 (having seen all but the last two episodes). Thank you and please review!**

Shawn was sitting on the couch in the Matthews' apartment when he heard the doorbell ring. His heart skipped a beat and he looked up, too frozen to get up and answer the door. Topanga walked excitedly to the door, looked over at Shawn with a grin, and opened it.

**xxxXxxx**

Four hours earlier…

"Shawnie!" Cory called out happily as his best friend walked through the door. He was grinning ear to ear and holding his arms out for a reunion hug.

"Hey, Cor," Shawn answered casually, hugging his best friend. "Happy birthday!"

"Thanks! How ya been?" Cory asked, still grinning.

"I've been good," Shawn answered.

Riley and Maya stood from the couch.

"Hey, Hunter," Maya greeted.

"Uncle Shawn!" Riley shouted, mirroring her father as she marched to Shawn with her arms outstretched.

Shawn gave Riley a big hug, smiled at the uncanny resemblance between father and daughter, and said, "Hey girls! Good to see you, as always."

"I'm coming!" Auggie cried out as he ran into the living room from the hallway. Shawn knelt down and Auggie ran to him. Auggie was lifted into the air and the six-year-old giggled with delight.

Topanga came from the hallway and said, smiling, "Hey, Shawn!"

"Topanga," Shawn greeted as he walked over to hug her.

"This is great!" Cory exclaimed. "I'm so happy you're here, Shawn. We're going to have the best week ever!"

"So you've said," Shawn answered. He looked a little nervous, but held his smile.

"Now we just have to wait for a few more people and we can start this party!" Topanga said happily.

The adults (plus Auggie) continued their conversation, while Maya decided to finally ask the question that had been plaguing her mind since she got there.

Maya turned to Riley and said, "Hey, your uncle's not coming, is he?"

Riley looked at Maya, crinkled her eyebrows, and said, "No…"

"Dang it!" Maya mumbled to herself.

"He's in Philadelphia, Maya," Riley answered, smirking.

"Well, I just figured I'd ask," Maya started. "I mean, Shawn's friend is coming, and-"

"What?" Shawn interrupted their conversation.

"That Angela girl you…told us…" Maya started as she looked around to see wide eyes pleading her to stop. "Uh, oh."

"Angela's coming?" Shawn asked Cory and Topanga.

"Yeah," Cory answered quietly, looking down.

"Why didn't you guys tell me?" Shawn asked.

"We just wanted to make sure you came!" Cory answered.

Maya mouthed _I'm sorry _to Riley.

"We didn't mean to hide it from you; we just found out she could come two days ago, and we didn't want to scare you off," Topanga said guiltily.

"Scare me off?" Shawn questioned. "You guys think that would keep me from seeing you all? Come on, I'm totally fine now. You really didn't have to do that," he continued as Cory and Topanga looked up.

"In fact, I'm glad to see her! She was a big part of my life, and I want to make sure she's doing alright," he said, seemingly trying to convince himself. "And shame on you for arranging this behind my back!" he said as he pointed at Cory.

"How do you know it was me?" Cory answered.

"It's always you," Shawn replied.

"Yeah, you're right," Cory said, beaming with pride.

Just then, they heard, "Hey, it's Katy!"

Maya walked over to the intercom, pushed the button, and said, "Come up, Mom."

A few seconds later, Katy Hart walked through the door and said, "Hey everybody!"

Cory looked at Katy and began to realize what he'd done. He invited Katy _and_ Angela to the same place. With Shawn. This was going to be an interesting day.


	2. Will the Master Plan Prevail?

"Hey, Katy! Thanks for coming," Cory said, walking over to give Katy a polite hug.

"Well, sure!" Katy answered. "Happy birthday, Cory."

"Thanks," he replied.

"Hello, Katy," Shawn greeted her.

Maya looked over at Riley, biting her lip with nervousness. She still had a lot of hope that somehow her wish would come true and Shawn would become family. Riley smiled faintly at Maya, hoping for the same thing.

"Hello, Shawn," Katy answered. "I hope all is well with you."

"Yeah, you too," he replied awkwardly.

"Please sit down," Topanga said, smiling, saving the day with her motherly instinct.

"Thank you," Katy replied. She took her jacket off, set it down on the chair, and sat down.

"So I hear you've had an exciting couple weeks," Katy said to Riley.

"Oh, yes, I have," Riley said, fondly remembering her wonderful first date with Lucas.

"Why, what happened?" Shawn asked.

Riley looked up and Shawn and said, "I went on a date!"

Shawn looked at Cory. "You let her go on a date?!" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah? So?" Cory answered, trying to get the attention off of him.

"You let your only daughter go on a date?!" he asked again.

"Why is that so hard to believe?" Riley asked.

"Well, when you've known your father as long as I have, you begin to realize that he's very protective over the ones he loves."

"Yeah, I know. Mom helped me convince him. Right, Mom?" she asked, grinning at Topanga.

Topanga smiled back at Riley.

"Wait, so who's this guy that you went on a date with?" Shawn questioned.

"Lucas Friar," Maya answered, teasing Riley and making her blush.

"Well, he must be a good guy if your dad actually let you go," Shawn said, smiling to himself.

"He is," Riley answered, dreamy-eyed.

"Uh, oh," Shawn said jokingly, looking at Riley. "You'd better watch this one!" he said to Cory, laughing.

"If you think that's bad, you should see her when she's actually _with_ him!" Maya said, laughing.

"You know," Shawn said teasingly. "She kind of reminds me of you guys…" Shawn said, gesturing toward Cory and Topanga.

Cory glared at Shawn.

"Oh, you're right. There's only room for _two_ freaks who've loved each other their whole lives," Shawn said laughing.

"Really?" Maya said, interested. "You guys have loved each other your whole lives?" she asked, looking at Cory and Topanga.

"Well, we were raised together," Topanga said. "And we always knew we had each other," she said, looking lovingly at Cory. He leaned over to kiss her

"Ew!" Auggie yelled as he covered his eyes. Cory and Topanga started laughing.

Katy looked down and began to think about her own relationship with her ex-husband. It hadn't worked out at all. In fact, she was surprised it lasted as long as it did. Why did they stay together for their whole lives when she couldn't stay with the same man for even ten years?

Shawn also looked away sadly. Watching them _did_ remind him of what he didn't have. Riley was right. And it had been that way for many years. He loved these people completely, but it hurt him so much to be there that it made him want to leave again. It didn't help that now Angela was coming. He would be forced to see her, probably married with kids, and witness firsthand the life that he was supposed to have.


	3. Encouraging Maya

A few hours later, Maya and Riley were sitting on the couch, talking quietly about their hopes for Shawn and Katy.

"I don't know, Riles," Maya said. "They didn't seem to hit it off before, and they really don't seem into each other now."

"Don't give up, Maya!" Riley said, trying to encourage her. "They have so much in common that they _have_ to at least be friends."

"But 'friends' doesn't mean he becomes family," Maya said, looking discouraged.

Riley looked sadly at her best friend, not knowing what to reply. Maya was losing hope, and Riley couldn't fix this one. At least, not directly.

"I know, Maya. But at least you have that for _now._ We always have the hope that it turns into something more, but at least you have Shawn in your life."

"What are you guys conniving about over there?" Shawn asked as he turned to the girls. "I hear whispers and it's obvious that you're having a serious discussion. Now come on, spill it."

"It's nothing, Uncle Shawn," Riley said. "We're just trying to guess what the other got my dad for his birthday," she continued, trying to cover up their conversation.

"Uh, huh," Shawn said, not buying the story. "You don't think I've had my share of whispered conversations? I was the _champion_ of whispered conversations. And I know something's up when I see it."

Riley looked intently at Shawn and then raised her eyebrows.

"Whatever," he said tauntingly, turning his head back toward his conversation with the adults.

Riley turned to Maya and excitedly whispered, "I have an idea!"

Maya perked up and said, "Something to get my mom and Shawn together?"

Riley smiled enthusiastically and nodded.


	4. I Call Hearts

"Hey, Mom," Maya called out.

"Yeah, sweetie?" Katy answered.

"Whatcha' doin'?" Maya asked, trying to be casual.

Katy gave Maya a weird look. "What do you mean? I'm playing euchre right now."

"Can you come here, please?" Maya asked nicely.

Katy looked around at the other players, sighed, and excused herself. She stood from her chair in the kitchen and walked over to the couch where Maya was sitting.

"Yes?" she asked, raising her eyebrows and looking at Maya expectantly.

Maya wiggled her finger, motioning for her mother to move closer. Katy leaned closer.

Riley scooted away from Maya and patted the seat in between her and Maya. Katy sat down.

"What is it, girls?" Katy asked, looking from one to the other.

Riley lowered her voice. "We just wanted to talk to you a little bit."

Katy mirrored Riley and lowered her voice as well. "About what?" she asked, growing tired of the game.

"We have a couple questions about Shawn," Maya said hesitantly, not knowing what reaction to expect from her mother.

"Okay?" Katy asked.

"So, what do you think about him?" Riley asked.

"Well, he seems very nice, and I'm glad he's around for you girls," she answered.

"That's it?" Riley asked, hoping for more.

"Well, what else is there?" Katy asked suspiciously. "I only just met him. I don't really know him all that well."

"Well…just look at him. What do you think of when you see him?" Maya asked.

"Maya, I'm not going to just-" Katy began.

"Just look at him, Mom. When you see 'Shawn Hunter,' what do you think?"

Katy sighed and turned to look at Shawn. Maya and Riley also turned to look.

Shawn, facing the living room, immediately noticed and wrinkled his eyebrows.

"Yes?" he asked.

Katy blushed and quickly said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't- I mean I- the girls were asking me…never mind." She turned to Maya and Riley with a firm look on her face. "This conversation is done now. I'm going to finish the card game."

Maya turned and leaned toward Riley. "Do you think it worked?" she whispered with hope on her face.

"I don't know," Riley answered. "We'll have to see." She turned again to look at Katy and Shawn.

"It's your turn, Katy," Cory said. "We are _totally_ going to win this, Topanga!"

"I'm sorry, what's trump again?" Katy asked, distracted from her conversation with the girls.

"Diamonds," Topanga answered.

"Oh, okay," Katy answered. She placed a card on the table from her hand.

Cory and Topanga scowled and Shawn smiled.

"Cory, why would you call diamonds if you didn't have the jack?" Topanga asked, playfully annoyed.

"I don't know. You're the one who always wins, so I figured you'd win it for me!" Cory shot back.

Topanga scowled again, but then looked at Cory's face. She smiled and started laughing. Cory began laughing as well, and then Katy took the pile of cards from the middle of the table.

"Good job, Katy," Shawn said.

"Thanks," Katy answered proudly, with a smile.

"Shawn, it's your deal now," Cory said.

Shawn took the deck of cards and shuffled them before dealing them out and placing one card up on the table. Everybody passed on their turn, and Shawn turned the card over. Cory, Katy, and Topanga passed again. Then it was Shawn's turn.

Shawn looked up at Katy and said with care in his voice, "I call hearts."


	5. Her Arrival

One hour later, Shawn was standing near the couch talking to Riley about her date.

"So, did you have fun?" he asked her.

"Yeah," Riley said dreamily, thinking back to that eventful night.

"Where did he take you?" he asked.

Suddenly, the buzzer sounded from the intercom.

"It's Angela!" everyone heard.

Topanga rushed over to the intercom and said excitedly, "Come on up!" Shawn sat down.

Maya looked over at Riley with a worried expression. They knew that Shawn and Angela had once been a couple; would they still have feelings for each other?

Shawn was sitting on the couch in the Matthews' apartment when he heard the doorbell ring. His heart skipped a beat and he looked up, too frozen to get up and answer the door. Topanga walked excitedly to the door, looked over at Shawn with a grin, and opened it.

There stood Angela with her hands full with bags. Topanga screamed with joy and hugged her. Angela dropped her bags and let out a squeal as she was pulled into one of the tightest hugs she'd ever experienced.

"I haven't seen you in forever!" Topanga shouted as she continued to squeeze Angela in her hug.

"I know! It's been too long," Angela replied, trying to gasp for air.

Finally, Topanga released Angela from her grip and stepped aside to let her through the door. Cory walked over and hugged Angela as well.

"Happy birthday, Cory!" Angela said, happy to see him again.

"Thanks! Oh, I'm so glad you're all finally here!" he said, looking around.

Topanga motioned for Riley to come to her. Riley walked over, and Maya followed her.

"This is our daughter, Riley, and her best friend, Maya," she introduced.

"It's so nice to finally meet you!" Angela cried as she pulled the two girls into a hug.

Riley was surprised by how quickly she was pulled in, but hugged Angela back.

"Auggie, baby!" Topanga called out toward the kitchen.

Auggie came walking from the hallway into the living room and to his mom.

"And this is our son, Auggie," Topanga said proudly.

"It's nice to meet you, too!" Angela said, bending down to meet Auggie.

Auggie extended his hand to Angela and she shook it.

"You must be Angela," he said, trying to sound like an adult.

"You're correct," Angela said with a smile. She stood up and saw Katy sitting in the chair next to the door.

"Hello!" Angela said to her.

"Hi," Katy answered. "I'm Katy, Maya's mother."

"Very nice to meet you," Angela said sincerely.

Then Shawn stood from the couch.

"Hey, Angela," he said nervously.

"Hey, Shawn," she answered. They both contemplated giving the other a hug, but they simply stood there awkwardly.

"It's good to see you," Angela said to keep the conversation going.

"Yeah, you too," Shawn replied. "You look good."

"Thanks. So do you."

Silence plagued the group for a few seconds before Topanga said, "Okay, well let's get your things into the guest room. It's this way," she said as she walked into the hallway. Auggie followed quickly after her.

"Yeah!" Angela said, bringing excitement back into the room. Katy stood and picked up some of Angela's things and headed for the hallway.

"Thank you, Katy!" Angela said.

"Of course," Katy said smiling. She continued into the hallway.

Angela grabbed the rest and followed her. Riley quickly ran to Angela to help and Maya followed.

"Here, give me some, Angela," she said.

"Me, too," Maya said.

"Thank you!" Angela said politely. Riley and Maya took some bags and walked into the hallway.

Shawn watched them walk away and turned back to Cory.

Cory said, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Shawn answered quickly.

"You looked a little nervous to see her. I'm sorry, Shawn. I didn't realize you still had feelings for her," Cory said apologetically.

"I don't have feelings for her!" he said in a loud whisper.

Cory gave him a look.

"Listen, it's been years since we've seen each other, so it's bound to be a little awkward. Just _please_ don't try to intervene," Shawn pleaded.

"You know me, Shawn. Do you really think I can stand by and watch my friends suffer?"  
>"I'm not suffering," Shawn answered quietly. "I just don't want to get started with all of this again."<p>

"Okay," Cory answered. He could see the pain in Shawn's eyes, but he knew that he needed to let it go.

Just then, Auggie came into the living room and sat on the couch. He looked up at Shawn and then at his dad. They stared back.

"Whatcha' doin'?" Auggie asked.

"Yeah, what are you two doing out here?" Topanga asked from the entrance of the hallway.

Shawn looked sternly at Cory, telling him to keep quiet.

"Just talking is all," Cory answered his wife. Topanga walked over to Cory and put her arm around his waist.

"Uh huh," she said smiling.

Angela walked out of the hallway and into the living room to sit on the chair near the door. Katy soon followed and sat on the couch. She and Topanga began discussing the arrangements for Maya and Riley that night.

"Do you want the girls to stay here tonight?" Katy asked.

"That's fine with me," Topanga said. "Unless you want them this time. I know they've been missing your special pancakes," she said teasingly.

Maya and Riley came from the hallway and overheard the conversation.

"Let's stay here tonight, okay Mom?" Maya said. She wanted to make sure they could keep an eye on things at the Matthews'.

"Alright," Katy said. The girls sat down next to Katy.

"So, Angela, how have you been?" Shawn asked.

"I've been good. I'm a writer now for a couple newspapers and magazines back in California," she answered.

"California? Wow," Shawn replied in amazement.

"Yeah, it's great. What about you?" she asked.

"I'm a writer too," he said. Angela smiled and nodded understandingly.

"Yeah, I write for a website. I visit places and let people know if it's worth seeing," he continued.

"Wow! That sounds exciting!" Angela said.

"It is. I have to travel a lot though," he said, looking down.

"Well, maybe you can come to California some time," Angela said.

"Maybe," Shawn replied. There was another silence.

Maya and Riley looked at each other. Maya gestured toward the hallway and Riley nodded. They both stood up and walked toward Riley's room. Suddenly, Riley stopped.

"Wait," she said. "Hey, Auggie!" she called.

"Yeah?" Auggie answered as he turned to face them.

"Do you want to see something awesome? It's an idea for the next time I babysit!" Riley said, trying to be enthusiastic.

Auggie's face lit up and he quickly walked to Riley.

"Come on, bud," Maya said affectionately, with a smile.

They walked into the hallway to Riley's room.

**Thank you for sticking with me! Please review! I want to hear your opinions thus far! Do you have any ideas that you think should be in the story? Let me know! :)**


	6. Master Planning

When Maya, Auggie, and Riley all walked into Riley's room, Riley closed the door behind her.

"Okay, guys. I have officially recruited you to the Master Planning Committee," Riley began.

"Oh, but when can we join the Corny Naming Committee?" Maya asked, smiling slyly at Riley and sitting by the window.

"Very funny, Maya, but we need to get down to business," Riley said.

Auggie's face turned down as he said, "So this isn't about babysitting?"  
>"No, Auggie. I'm sorry. I recruited you for your spy skills. You do like spying don't you?" Riley tried to entice Auggie.<p>

"Maybe a little," Auggie said, trying to hide his smile.

"That's what I thought. But I _promise_ next time I babysit, we'll do something awesome! Okay?"

"Okay," Auggie said, now content.

"So, we have to go over the mission," Riley started.

"Riles, can you at least try to make it less corny?" Maya asked, trying not to laugh.

"Maya! The words don't matter! We need to focus on the matter at hand!" Riley said, exasperated.

"Okay, continue," Maya said, still half-smiling.

"Well, we need to work together," Riley said. "All for a common goal."

"That's right. We need to get Shawn and my mom together," Maya said, finally getting down to business.

"Yes, Maya- the Master Plan. Now, we've already initiated their meeting," Riley said seriously.

"And we made it look like my mom was talking about Shawn," Maya said.

"But we need inside information," Riley continued. "Auggie, that's where you come in."

"What can I do?" Auggie asked.

"Auggie, you're a spy. We need you to listen to their conversations and give us any info that could help us," Maya said, trying to get Auggie excited.

"Like what kind of info?" Auggie asked.

"Like if Shawn starts talking to my mom like he likes her," Maya said.

"Or if he starts talking to _Angela_," Riley continued to list. "At which point we would need to intervene."

"Ooh, or if he talks to your dad, Auggie. They're best friends, so I'm sure Shawn will tell your dad what he's thinking!" Maya said, her eyes lighting up.

Riley smiled excitedly and said, "Good one, Maya!"

"So can you do that for us, Auggie?" Maya asked.

"I think so," Auggie said slowly. He stopped for a moment and rubbed his chin, appearing to be thinking seriously about something. "But I also require a payment."

"What kind of payment?" Riley asked tentatively.

"Hmm," Auggie started. "I want all of your candy from Easter!" he exclaimed.

"Nice try, Auggie," Riley said, smiling and shaking her head.

Auggie raised his eyebrows and narrowed his eyes at Riley.

"Okay, half," Riley negotiated.

"Deal!" Auggie shouted.

"But remember- don't let them catch you spying, or the deal's off," Riley said, shaking her finger at Auggie.

"You don't have to worry about me," Auggie said confidently. "I'm a super spy!" Auggie opened the door and ran out of the room.

"Well, at least we got him on our team," Maya said, getting up and closing the door.

"Yeah," Riley said. "Now what's our plan?"

"Let's see. We've completed phase one- create suspicion. Shawn clearly saw my mom talking about him and then she blushed. But I think we're forgetting about our biggest competition: Angela. Moore," Maya said dramatically.

"You're right," Riley said. "So how do we defeat the competition?"  
>"We have to be brutal," Maya said.<p>

"But not that brutal, right?" Riley asked. "I like Angela. She's very nice and she doesn't deserve to be hurt."

"Riley! It's her or my mom. You do want this as much as I do, don't you?"

"Of course! It's just that I don't want to hurt anybody. First, she's one of my parents' best friends. And second, didn't you see how nice Angela was to you? And to your mom?" Riley asked, bringing Maya's conscience to light.

"Riley, the competition is always a nice person, but once the fight starts, they are tough and mean and strategic. We can't allow that to stand in our way. We need to look past that," Maya said, like a coach to her team.

"Just promise me that we won't hurt her," Riley said.

Maya looked at Riley, concentrating, before she sighed and reluctantly said, "I promise."

"Thank you," Riley said sincerely. "Now what's your plan?"  
>"Well, we need to eliminate the competition."<p>

"And how do we do that- _without_ hurting anyone?"

"It'll be trickier, but I think we can do it," Maya said, smiling and nodding to herself. "First, we need to show Shawn that he and Angela don't belong together. Then, we need to show him that he and my mom do."

"So we need to find out what Angela's been doing these past few years. Maybe she's already fallen in love with someone else," Riley said, raising her eyebrows and smiling.

"Maybe," Maya said. "But I know how we can find out."


	7. Happy and Sad Tales

As Riley and Maya walked out of the hallway and into the living room, they saw Auggie sitting behind the couch. It didn't appear that the adults knew of his presence. Maya turned to Riley and smiled at the sight. Riley returned her smile and walked toward the adults on the couch.

"And then we got honey poured all over our heads!" Topanga was exclaiming, crying with laughter. Everyone, even Katy who wasn't there, was laughing along.

"And then the bear!" Cory cried out, falling backward onto the couch with Topanga in a fit of laughter.

"Oh, hey girls," Cory said, sitting up and trying to get over his laugh attack.

"Hey, Dad," Riley greeted.

"What have you been up to?" Cory asked.

"Just talking," Riley said, trying not to show her guilt for keeping a secret.

"About what?" Cory asked, now fully paying attention. Shawn, Topanga, Katy, and Angela all began to look at Riley now.

"Oh, um," Riley began.

"About what we're going to watch tonight at our sleepover," Maya interrupted. "I wanted to watch that new comedy, but Riley really wanted to see that new TV show instead- 'Kid's Daughter Gets Acquainted with the Universe.'"

"Oh, that show about the daughter of the curly-headed kid? The spin-off?" Cory asked.

"That's the one," Maya said, smiling.

"You know, the original was very good. I think you would like the spin-off," he said.

"Yeah, I like the original. I think I'll like the new one too."

"So, Riley, I heard you went on a date! Tell me about it!" Angela said, grinning at Riley.

"Oh, well it was very fun!" Riley was relieved to talk about something else. She continued to explain how her night went- in full detail- and her eyes turned glazy as she remembered the beautiful moments, including her first kiss. She didn't talk about that part though, as she knew her father would get upset to hear that his little girl is growing up.

"Wow, that's exciting!" Angela exclaimed when Riley finished her story.

"It was," Riley answered.

"Cory, are you okay?" Angela asked as she saw him. He was tensed up so bad that all of his joints were bent and his hands were clenched so tight that they looked purple. His face was scrunched up, showing that he was struggling greatly while listening to Riley's story.

"Yeah, he's fine," Topanga said casually. "He's just a little worried about Riley getting older." Topanga looked at Cory and then rolled her eyes.

"Cory, she has to grow up," Angela said to him.

Cory put his hands over his ears and said, "I can't hear you!"

"Annnd here comes the regression," Topanga said knowingly. "Don't worry. He'll be fine."

Angela nodded, unconvinced.

"You'll be fine, right honey?" Topanga asked as she patted his knee.

Cory relaxed a little bit and said, "Mmhmm."

"There ya go," Topanga said, mockingly soothing. "Why don't we talk about something else? Like how's your dad doing, Angela?"

"Oh," Angela said, looking down. "He passed away a few years ago- in an accident."

"Oh my gosh, Angela! I'm so sorry! Why didn't you tell us?" Topanga said rushing over to Angela's chair.

"I don't know," she started. "I guess because there's nothing you can do about it. There's nothing anybody can do about it."

"Well we can help you get through it!" Topanga said, hugging Angela.

"It's okay. It's in the past and I'm over it now," Angela said, brushing the conversation off.

Shawn wanted to comfort Angela, but he didn't know how. It would be inappropriate to act as he would have when he was her boyfriend. But he also didn't want to appear uncaring. He looked at Angela and smiled softly, showing that he felt compassion toward her. She saw him out of the corner of her eye and gave him a small smile in return. Then she looked away, perhaps thinking about her father or her past with Shawn. A lone tear ran down her cheek and she quickly brushed it away. Nobody noticed except for Shawn, who was still smiling at her, and Riley, who witnessed the whole thing.

Riley quickly turned away, feeling embarrassed. She then began to feel guilty. While she did want Shawn to end up with Katy, she didn't want Angela to be hurting. And that's exactly what was happening to Angela.. If Angela was already upset about her dad, how upset would she be after losing Shawn to Katy? Riley looked over at Maya.

Maya was not looking at Angela, but down at a string on her sweatshirt as she fiddled with it. She looked unhappy. Riley walked over to her and sat down on the edge of the couch.

"Maya, what's wrong?"

Maya looked up at Riley and shook her head, trying to signal for her to drop the subject.

"Well can we at least go to my room and discuss this _movie_ night?" Riley asked, dropping a hint about their plan.

Maya shook her head again.

"But, Maya, don't you think we need to-"

"No, Riley," Maya interrupted.

"Maya, what's going on?"

Maya looked at Riley and then grabbed her hand to lead her to Riley's room.

Auggie peeked over the couch from where he was hiding to make sure the adults weren't looking; then he crawled quickly into the hallway to follow the girls.

**I wanted to make a couple notes about this chapter. First, I hope you liked it! Please review! I want to know what you think! :) Second, I **_**really**_** wanted to include the 'Kid's Daughter Gets Acquainted with the Universe' because I loved that part in BMW. It made me laugh so hard! So I was really glad to be able to put it in this chapter. Lastly, I will not be making any statements about the First Date episode that haven't currently been proven to be true. That's why I skipped over Riley's story about it. I will, however, try to incorporate everything that's supposed to be in Girl Meets Hurricane according to the writers. I want this story to be as real as possible. Thank you for reading and I apologize for this long note. Please review!**


	8. Auggie's Idea & The Drawer

**Hey guys! I know it's been a while since I've updated, and I apologize! I've been **_**really**_** busy lately. I'll try to be better about this from now on. To reward you for staying with me, I wrote kind of a long chapter this time. There's also a blast from the past! :) I hope you like it!**

The girls and Auggie walked into the room for the second time that night, and Riley closed the door. Maya went to the bay window and sat with her head hanging low.

"What's going on, Maya?" Riley asked demandingly as soon as the door was shut.

Maya looked up with her mouth crinkled as though she didn't want to speak.

"What?" Riley continued to ask.

Maya sighed loudly with irritation.

"I feel bad, alright?" Maya said reluctantly.

"Oh," Riley said quietly, understanding what Maya was saying. "Angela?"

"Yeah," Maya said, looking down again. "I didn't really feel that bad before, but after learning that her dad died…I know it's stupid because I just told you all that stuff about not letting the opponent get to you, but I just wasn't expecting this."

"Me neither," Riley said, sitting next to Maya. "What do you want to do?"

"We still need to focus on the plan," Maya replied. "We just need to be careful. No hurting Angela, under any circumstances."

"How are we going to do that?" Riley asked.

"I don't know," Maya said, shaking her head.

Auggie raised his hand high and excitedly said, "I know! I know!"

"What is it, Auggie?" Riley asked.

"All we need to do is make Maya's mom love Shawn. Then make Shawn love Maya's mom."

"Yeah, we know, Auggie. We just don't know how to do that," Riley said, turning back to Maya.

Maya lifted her head up and said, "Wait. The kid's got a point."

"What do you mean?" Riley asked.

"He didn't say anything about Angela. That's it! We need to not involve her. Besides, why would Angela have anything to do with how Shawn and my mom feel?" Maya said with a twinkle in her eye, standing.

"You're right!" Riley exclaimed. "Thank you, Auggie!"

Riley ran over to Auggie and swooped him up, whirling him around the room.

"I know," Auggie said, smiling, after Riley put him down.

"So what's the new plan?" Riley asked, bouncing to sit on her bed.

"We need to make Shawn and my mom like each other. So let's think about things they like to do," Maya replied.

"Let's see," Riley began.

"Uncle Shawn likes to write stuff and take pictures!" Auggie said.

"He does," Riley said. "Maybe we can have him write something about your mom! Or maybe he has already!"

"Good idea," Maya said. "Let's find out."

Maya and Riley walked to the door and Auggie sighed and followed like the caboose on a train.

"Why do we keep moving around?" Auggie asked, acting exasperated.

Riley and Maya walked back out to the grown-ups to find them all still talking in the living room. Auggie went to his mother and she pulled him onto her lap.

"Well, I knew I wanted to write for a long time," Shawn was saying. Maya and Riley stopped in their tracks and took a few steps back to listen.

"Yeah, he was writing probably long before any of us knew about it," Cory said. "He never actually told us until we found out ourselves, actually."

"Really?" Katy asked. "You're so good. It's a wonder that you haven't written a book or something. Do you like to do stories mostly?"

"I used to write poetry, but now I've moved on to writing stories for a living. I still write poetry every now and then if I feel strongly about something," Shawn replied.

"Oh," Katy answered, obviously thinking about something.

"What are your aspirations?" Shawn asked.

"Oh, um…" Katy began. "I, uh…well, I wanted to be an actress."

"Cool," Shawn replied. "How's that been going?"

"Well," Katy said. "I'm still a waitress. So clearly not well."

"Don't give up hope," Angela encouraged her.

On the other side of the room, Riley looked at Maya to see if she wanted to interrupt the conversation, but Maya was listening intently.

"It's easy to say," Katy said. "But not as easy to follow through."

Everyone sat in a moment of silence before Riley decided it was time to interrupt.

"Hey, guys," she said.

"You're back," Cory said, looking at the girls.

"Yeah," Riley said. "We decided on the TV show."  
>"Ah," Cory said. "Good choice."<p>

"Uh huh," Riley said awkwardly.

"So when can we see your work, Hunter?" Maya asked.

"My work? Don't you read it off of Hit the Road?" he responded.

"Well, yeah, but that's not _your_ work. That's an assignment. I want to see your own."

"Oh, uh…" he began.

"Shawn doesn't share his work with people. Trust me, I would know," Cory said, reminiscing back to when he read Shawn's poem at a poetry reading. Shawn was _not_ happy.

"Well, maybe you can show us anyway. After all, you're a professional writer now. Lots of people have seen what you write," Maya tried to convince him.

"No, I don't think so," Shawn answered, shaking his head.

Maya pulled Riley close to her and whispered, "Then maybe we'll just have to investigate ourselves."

Riley gave Maya a glare and shook her head no. Maya replied by giving Riley a puppy face. Riley sighed and gave in, allowing Maya to pull her down the hallway. When they got to Shawn's room, Maya took a deep breath and opened the door. They both crept in and closed the door quietly.

"Maya, what are we doing here?!" Riley whispered loudly.

"Writers _always_ have a way to write, no matter where they are," Maya said, looking at Riley.

"So?"

"So, Shawn probably has some journal or something just in case he gets an idea. I want to see what he's been working on!"

"Maya, this is wrong. We can't go through people's things!"

"Riley, we're working toward our goal! We aren't hurting anybody! It's perfect! Now come one, help me look!"

Riley sighed angrily and knelt to the ground to open Shawn's suitcase. She unzipped it and flung it open.

"Careful!" Maya cautioned. "You have to make it look like no one was in here!"

"Sorry!" Riley said as she went through his clothes. "Nothing here."

"There's nothing here, either," Maya said from his backpack lying on the ground. She stood up and went to the dressers. She opened the first drawer and it was empty.

Riley walked over to Maya and opened the second drawer.

"Woah," Riley said.

The drawer was full of things. There was an old jean jacket folded nicely, a small ring box, a pale pink baby onesie, a red baseball cap, two prom crowns, and a folded piece of paper.

"Where do we start?" Maya asked.

"There's no journal here," Riley said.

"Yeah, but this looks interesting. I want to know what all this is!" Maya said, reaching for the ring box. She opened it to find two identical rings in it.

Riley picked a ring up and read the inscription on one. "I promise."

"Promise rings?" Maya asked.

"I guess," Riley said, putting the ring back.

Maya put the box back in the drawer, then reaching for the baseball cap. She put it on her head and said, "How do I look?"

"Wait, this is a 'P,'" Riley said.

"Yeah, so?"

"'P' for Phillies?" Riley asked.

"I don't know," Maya said, putting the baseball cap back. Then she took the onesie out and put it up against Riley.

"Aww, did you wear this?" Maya asked.

"I don't know," Riley said.

"What is all this stuff?"

"It looks like it's my parents,'" Riley said, pulling the jacket out. She unfolded it and put it on.

"It fits me," Riley said. "This must be from a long time ago."

"Wait, so your parents were prom king and queen?! No way!" Maya exclaimed.

"I guess so," Riley said. "I wonder why they never told me that!"

"There's one thing we haven't looked at yet," Maya said mysteriously.

"The note," Riley said, equally mysterious. "Open it!"

Maya took the note and opened it up. Her face scrunched up. "What is this?"

"It says 'By Topanga Lawrence' at the bottom!" Riley exclaimed, pointing to the bottom of the paper.

"Sun. The only. The one. Doughnut in the sky. Space. Big ga-"

"What's going on in here?" Cory said, opening the door.

"Dad! We can explain!" Riley exclaimed.

"Riley! This is Shawn's room! And you shouldn't get into things that aren't yours."

Riley looked down to see that she was still wearing the jean jacket and quickly took it off.

"Be careful with that!" Cory said, rushing over to grab the jacket. He folded it intricately and carefully placed it back in the drawer.

"Dad, what is all this stuff?" Riley asked after watching her dad fold the jacket.

"Things from the past. Very important things that need to be handled carefully," he said as he took the note from Maya and put it next to the jacket. He looked in the drawer for a few seconds and then closed it.

"Why do you have all of this stuff, Mr. Matthews?" Maya asked.

"Because they remind me of important events," Cory said.

"Can you tell me about them?" Riley asked.

Cory sighed. Topanga, who had been watching from the door, walked into the room and grabbed Cory's arm.

"I think that's fair," Topanga said. "I mean, it's not like we were hiding these things. But there's one other thing that needs to be addressed. Riley and Maya, going into Shawn's room and snooping around was not right. I think the sleepover is cancelled for tonight. And you need to tell Shawn what you did and apologize."

"Fine," Riley said, reluctantly.

"Now let's go somewhere else to talk about this. We don't need to be in Shawn's room anymore," Topanga said.

"Okay," Riley said. "We can go to my room."

The group walked out of the room and to Riley's room.

**Thanks for reading! I hope you leave a review! Also, the poll is now closed, so I have the results. However, I will NOT be releasing the results. You'll just have to keep reading to find out who wins! Thanks again!**


	9. Story Time & Important Events

Once in Riley's room, the group sat down and looked at each other, waiting for someone to begin.

"So?" Maya said, trying to nudge a conversation.

"What do you want to know?" Topanga asked.

"Tell us about all that stuff!" Riley said. "What's the note and the ring box? And whose jacket was that?"

"And was that Riley's onesie?" Maya chimed in.

"Was it your baseball cap?" Riley asked her dad.

"And how come you never told us you won prom king and queen?!" Maya exclaimed.

"Woah, that's a lot of questions," Cory said, looking at the girls' excited faces.

"Okay, let's go in order of events," Topanga said, trying to sort through the questions.

"The first thing was the poem, right?" Cory asked, looking at Topanga.

"Yeah!" she said, reminiscing. She turned to the girls and said, "Your father and I were paired as partners for a school project in middle school. I don't remember what the project was for, but I wrote a poem about global warming."

"The note!" Riley said excitedly.

"Yep," Cory answered. "Your mom came over to Grandma and Grandpa Matthews's house and performed this whole poem with a dance and a tape of sound effects," he said, laughing to himself. "It was the weirdest thing I'd ever seen."

"And then you had your red hat," Topanga said affectionately to Cory.

"The one from the dresser?" Maya asked.

"Yeah," Topanga said. "He was afraid of being different than everyone else, but his hat was unique and I told him I liked it because it made _him _unique. He had this strange thing going on with his hair." She started laughing. "Everyone else at school laughed at him, but I told him I appreciated him for being himself. Then after our project, he gave his hat to me. I kept it and now it's in the dresser." Topanga looked at Cory and he gave her a quick kiss.

"Alright, alright!" Riley said, trying to get her parents to stop the PDA.

"What's the next thing?" Maya asked.

"Umm," Cory started. "Oh, the jacket," he said.

"It was his and he gave it to me on one of our first dates," Topanga said.

"Wait, why did you keep this stuff?" Riley asked.

"I always kept the jacket because he gave it to me the first time he told me he loved me. The poem- because I like to believe that's when we became destined to be together," Topanga answered.

"Aw," a male voice said mockingly from behind the door.

"Hunter, you ruined a precious moment!" Maya said, joking.

"Come in," Riley said.

The door opened to reveal Maya's correct guess- Shawn.

"Nah, it's alright. I just came back here to get something out of my suitcase- which was kind of thrown around…"

"Oh, right," Riley said quietly.

"The girls have something to say," Topanga said, looking meaningfully at Riley and Maya.

"Well, we were kind of looking around when we stumbled into your room," Maya began. "We_ may_ have accidentally knocked your suitcase around. Then we discovered a drawer full of memories from these two," she said, gesturing to Cory and Topanga.

"We're really sorry, Uncle Shawn," Riley said, looking ashamed.

"It won't happen again," Maya said.

Shawn smiled, obviously amused by the girls and then pointed and Maya and said, "I know it was your idea."

"What?" Maya responded.

"I just want to tell you that the best way to find things out is by asking questions and _talking _to people- not snooping and guessing. Cory knows, right Cory?" Shawn asked, laughing quietly.

Cory looked up at Shawn to give him a look that seemed to say "Knock it off."

Shawn put his hands up in surrender and then turned and walked away, smiling.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Maya asked curiously.

Cory sighed and rubbed his face in distress while Topanga smiled and rubbed his back.

"Girls," Cory began. "It's the story of the onesie. But you know what? I think that's a story for a later time."

"Come on, Cory. They're old enough to hear it! It's not _that_ bad," Topanga said.

Cory let out an exasperated sigh and sat up straighter to tell the story.

"Your mom thought she needed to go on a diet one time with Uncle Eric, and she started acting weird. She didn't want to tell me about it because Uncle Eric told her not to tell anyone. So I kind of assumed something else because I didn't ask questions. Moral of the story: don't assume," Cory said, trying to rush through the story.

"But wait," Maya said. "Where does the onesie come in?"

"He thought I was pregnant and threw me a huge surprise baby shower," Topanga said, laughing as Cory put his head in his hands. "It was so sweet, but I wasn't pregnant. The onesie was a gift from Shawn and Angela. We never gave it back because we figured we'd need it one day. And we did," she said, smiling at Riley.

"So I did wear it!" Riley said proudly.

"Wait, when did this happen?" Maya asked.

"That was a few months after we got married, so sophomore year in college at Pennbrook," Topanga said, calculating in her mind.

"Oh," Maya said.

"What about the promise rings?" Riley asked.

"Oh, that was from high school," Topanga said, remembering the day. "I got to spend Christmas with your dad while my family was away, and I kind of got a little carried away with my own traditions. Then we got in a little fight, but we made up and found out we got each other the same present- promise rings."

"I think that was the day that I realized how much of a perfect fit we are," Cory said. "We think so much alike, but there's still so much to learn about each other."

"Okay, so that leaves one more story," Maya said. "You guys won prom king and queen?"

"Yep," Topanga said. "It was pretty cool actually. But I remember that night the most because-"

"We found out that Josh was coming," Cory interrupted.

Topanga gave Cory a weird look and said, "That's what I was going to say."

"Oh," Cory said, smiling bashfully.

She shook her head and looked back at the girls.

"That's it," Cory said, sighing with relief.

"So the reason why you kept that stuff is because each thing is connected to an important event?" Riley asked.

"Yeah," Topanga answered. "Either it was a big step in our relationship or it was a big thing in our lives. Or both."

"That's cool," Maya said. "So you can never forget those things because you kept that stuff."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I could never forget any of those things even if we didn't have that stuff," Cory said, looking at Topanga.

"Me either," she replied, smiling. She grabbed his face and pulled him to her to kiss him.

"Ma!" Riley cried in disgust, closing her eyes tightly.

Topanga laughed and said, "What? You don't like to see us kissing?"

"How about this?" Cory asked. He stood up, held out his hand, and pulled Topanga next to him as if they were going to dance. He spun her around and dipped her before leaning down to kiss her. Topanga giggled as Riley bleh-ed and ew-ed. Their exaggerated kiss ended with a "mwah."

"That was so gross, Dad!" Riley exclaimed.

Cory lifted Topanga back up and they began dancing to a shared inner music.

"I love you, Topanga!" Cory exclaimed outrageously loud to gross Riley out.

"I love you, Cory!" Topanga yelled, still giggling at Riley's disgust.

While the three Matthews were having a family moment, Maya simply watched them. She knew that she would never be able to watch her parents dance around and love each other, and that she would never have a life like Riley.


	10. The Emotion Behind

Auggie was sitting on Shawn's lap when Maya walked back out into the living room. She sat next to Shawn and looked intently at him.

"What?" Shawn asked when he noticed.

"You've got to tell me about your writing."

Shawn sighed. "Maya, I already told you, it's personal. You can read my work on the website, and that's it."

Maya looked around for someone to defend her side, but her mom and Angela were sitting at the kitchen table looking at something on a phone. Cory's presents were scattered around the table, awaiting their reveal.

"Hunter, haven't we established that we're pretty similar in our situations?"

Shawn put Auggie down next to him. "Yes, but I don't see how-"

"Then why can't we talk about stuff like this?" Maya asked. "Do you want to know something about me?"

"Sure," Shawn replied, trying to humor her.

"I draw," Maya said, searching for a reaction from Shawn.

He was silent for a few moments. "Really? That's awesome, Maya."

"Yeah. But you know what? I was like you once. I didn't want to show anyone my art. But then Riley sort of tricked me into it. And people liked my painting. I didn't think that anyone would even care, but they liked it. You know why? Because I put emotion into it. And I know that's what you do with your _own_ work. That's why I want to see it," Maya said.

He sat silently again for a few moments. "Riley made you do it?" he asked.

"Yeah," Maya said, fondly remembering the time.

"Cory made me do something like that once. He tricked me into going to a poetry reading, and he read my poetry- without permission. I was really mad at him. But he was only trying to put me in the spotlight," Shawn said.

"Even though they might not have gone about it the right way, they were right, you know. They're really alike, those two," Maya said.

Riley came skipping out of the hallway at that moment and sat next to Maya on the couch. She was grinning widely, obviously having enjoyed her time with her parents.

Then Cory and Topanga's laughter was heard from the living room and everyone turned to look at them. They came stumbling out of the hallway, Topanga clinging to Cory as she tried to walk through her laughter.

Shawn smiled and shook his head.

Angela laughed and said, "You guys are so crazy, even after all these years!"

Shawn stood from the couch. "What do you expect? They're Cory and Topanga," he said, walking over to put his arm around them.

"So what do you guys say? Should we have Cory open his presents?" Topanga asked, still smiling from her laughter.

"Yeah, let's go!" Shawn said, ushering the couple over to the table. Cory sat at the head of the table and Topanga sat next to him, at her place at the table. Auggie ran over and Cory pulled him on his lap. Maya went to her mother and leaned on her chair. Riley then sat to Cory's left, at her seat. Shawn walked over to the table and saw that the only available seat was next to Angela, so he stood behind her awkwardly.

"Shawn, you can sit," Angela said, looking up at him.

"No, I'm fine," Shawn said.

"No, really. It's okay," she said.

Shawn smiled weakly at Angela and then sat between her and Riley.

"Alright!" Cory said excitedly, reaching for a gift bag. "The first gift is from Angela," he said, reading the tag. He took the tissue paper out of the bag and then said, "Aw! Thank you Angela!"

He pulled a picture frame out of the bag and everyone craned their necks to see what was in it. Cory turned it around to reveal a happy photo of Cory with Topanga, Shawn, Angela, Jack, Rachel, and Eric. The picture frame was exquisitely designed and had a wonderful typography that said, "Hanging with old friends and saying 'Remember when…'"

"Angela, it's beautiful!" Topanga exclaimed.

"Thank you! I've been working on in for a while. I never mentioned I was into design," Angela said, laughing.

Cory stood from his seat to go over to Angela and give her a hug. "Thank you so much!" he said. "Now I'll have to decide if I want to keep it at home or bring it to school." He sat back down in his seat.

Cory reached for another present, but Topanga grabbed his hand and sweetly said, "Save that one for last."

"Ooh, the mystery!" Cory replied, grinning at Topanga. He reached for a larger gift bag and read from the tag, "To Mr. Matthews, from Katy and Maya." He stood up and put Auggie down to be able to see over the bag. He took the tissue paper out and once again pulled out a frame. This time, however, it was not a photo.

"Maya! Did you paint this?" Cory asked with enthusiasm.

"Yeah," Maya said, sheepishly.

"Is that me?" Cory asked.

"Let me see!" Auggie said from the ground. Cory bent down to show Auggie, and Auggie said, "Woah!"

"Show us!" Angela said.

Cory turned the large frame around and everyone at the table "wow-ed" and "ooh-ed" at the masterpiece. It was a painting of a man in a suit with curly hair, obviously Cory, standing in front of a class of children. Behind him, however, was everyone that was at the party, along with his parents, his brother Josh, and Mr. Feeny. They were all smiling, looking proud of Cory.

"Yeah, it's you," Maya said. "It's you doing what you love. And we're all behind you because we're like a big family, you know?"

"But how did you know what we all look like?" Angela asked. "You never even met me until today!"

"I may have had a little help from Mrs. Matthews. She showed me some pictures," Maya said.

"This is amazing. Thank you for painting this. Katy, you have a child prodigy on your hands!" Cory said, hugging them both.

"Yeah, I think I do," Katy said, smiling proudly at Maya.

At this point, Maya turned to Shawn. "You see? I draw. But it's not whether or not I'm good that anybody cares. It's the emotion behind it."

Shawn smiled at Maya and said, "Fine. I'll show you some of my work."

"Yes!" Riley cheered from the other side of the table, obviously having been eavesdropping. Shawn looked at Riley with a confused expression on his face.

"Uh, never mind me," Riley said, turning away.

"Next is from…Riley and Auggie!" Cory said as he grabbed the next gift. It was a small wrapped gift in the shape of a rectangle. Cory unwrapped it and pulled out a box. He opened the box and showed the group a mug that said, "During the day, he's the world's best teacher…but he's world's best dad 24/7."

"Aww!" Katy cooed over Riley and Auggie.

"Come here, you guys!" Cory said, holding his arms out wide. Auggie ran to his dad and Cory picked him up and gave him a huge hug and kissed the top of his head. Then Riley went to her dad and he gave her a hug and a kiss as well. "Thank you!" he said. "I'll be taking that to school every day!"

Auggie and Riley gleamed with pride at their father's appreciation of their gift.

Then Cory grabbed the second-to-last present and pulled it toward him.

"Is this from you, Shawnie?" he asked.

"Yep," Shawn said, smiling.

"Alright!" Cory exclaimed. He began unwrapping the gift and said, "I really am excited, Shawnie. I mean, you always get me the best of gifts. Somehow you just always know what to get me. You're actually really good at-" He stopped. He pulled a VHS tape from a box and said, "What's on the tape?"

"Well, I found it in a box of old stuff and watched it and thought it would make a nice gift," Shawn said. "Do you have a VHS player?"

"Yeah, I think we do somewhere. So what's on it?"

"It's a bunch of footage from when we were little. It's got us just doing boy stuff, I guess. It's kind of funny to watch. And you might remember some of that stuff. I did when I watched it. I don't know, it's probably not much of a gift," Shawn said, looking down.

"No, Shawnie, it's perfect. Thanks! We should watch it later! That'll be cool," Cory said. He went to Shawn and gave him a big hug.

"I think there's even a little bit of Miss Topanga Lawrence in there," Shawn said grinning at Topanga.

"Oh, really?" Topanga said, grinning back.

"Yep. Even when we were ten you guys were meant to be," Shawn said.

"Alright, well that leaves one more present!" Angela said. "I'm kind of curious since you made him save it till last," she said to Topanga.

"Me too!" Cory said. "Okay, Topanga, can I open it now?"

"Yep," Topanga said, smiling affectionately at Cory.

"Here goes," Cory said as he opened the gift.

There was another box to open, and he pulled out a small ceramic statue. It was a girl with long, light brown, crimped hair, wearing a light purple dress and black tights, leaning over to kiss a boy with crazy brown hair, a striped shirt, and jeans. They were handcuffed together with his left arm and her right arm.

"Our first kiss?" Cory quietly asked Topanga.

Topanga smiled softly.

"Thank you, Topanga. I love it. You remember that much detail?"

"How could I ever forget?" she asked.

Cory leaned over to her and kissed her tenderly.

Everyone around the table could do nothing more than sit quietly, observe, and smile at the adorable scene.

"Thank you," Cory said again. He and Topanga stood and embraced each other tightly while exchanging I love yous.

"Okay, Cor, save it for later," Shawn said to Cory, like a parent to a child.

Cory let go of Topanga and gave Shawn a look.

"Besides, it's time for cake!" Shawn said.

"Oh, you're right!" Topanga said. She went over to the stove and picked up the cake to take it to Cory. Angela grabbed the lighter off of the counter and lit the previously-placed candles. Then the group sang "Happy Birthday" to Cory as Topanga stood behind him with her hands on his shoulders. When the song was over, Topanga said, "Make a wish, Cory."

"I can't," he said. "I've got everything I could ever want right here," he said, smiling at Topanga. He blew the candles out and everyone clapped.

"Well, I hope not," Topanga said.

"What?" Cory asked.


	11. Topanga's Surprise & Separation

"Not to take the spotlight away from Cory or anything…" Topanga began.

"What's going on?" Riley asked.

"Well, Riley…I wanted to announce it with everyone here, so I waited for your dad's party. So, here goes. I guess I'll just come out and say it: I'm having a baby!" Topanga said, grinning.

Cory jumped up from his seat to lift Topanga and spin her around. "Honey, that's great!" he exclaimed.

"You're having a baby?!" Auggie cried.

"I can't believe it! This is the best birthday present _ever_. I love you, Topanga!" Cory said excitedly.

"So you're really happy?" Topanga asked with a hopeful look.

"Of course! I couldn't be happier!" he said, hugging his wife. He turned toward the table to see the adults smiling widely and the kids with shocked expressions.

"Riley, Auggie, isn't this great?!" he yelled, trying to get them excited.

"Yeah," Riley said. "That's great, Mom."

"I said I didn't _need_ a brother!" Auggie said, running to the hallway.

"Auggie!" Shawn called out. "I'll go get him."

"No, I think we need to go," Cory said. He took Topanga's hand and led her to the hallway. "I think you should come too, Riley," he said.

Riley stood solemnly and followed her parents into the hallway.

"Wow," Maya said after they left. "That's some news."

"Yeah," Angela said. "I mean not that it's weird for them, but I just wasn't expecting that. I hope they can handle it."

"Ah, they're Cory and Topanga," Shawn said, waving away Angela's worry. "When have they not gotten through something?"

"So they've always been together, huh?" Maya asked the table.

"Oh yeah," Shawn said. "They've practically been married since they were three."

"It must be nice for Riley to know that they'll always be together," Maya said.

"Maya!" Katy yelled sharply. "That's enough!"

"I wasn't saying anything to you, I just-"

"Maya!"

Maya looked down and stopped talking.

"Maya, can I see you in the other room, please?" Katy asked, trying to conceal her emotions.

At that, both Maya and her mother stood to walk into the hallway.

Now the party guests were divided. The Matthews were in Auggie's room and the Harts were in Riley's room. That left only Shawn and Angela in the kitchen, staring awkwardly at the uneaten cake.


	12. Three Conversations

Cory and Topanga walked into Auggie's room to find him lying underneath his blanket on his bed.

"Honey, can you come out, please?" Topanga asked him.

There was a shake of the covers as Auggie said no. Riley then walked in and stood next to her parents.

"Auggie, you need to come out, bud," Cory said, sitting on the bed.

There was no response.

"Alright, I'm comin' in," Cory said as he quickly took the blanket off of Auggie's head.

"No!" Auggie cried as he covered his head with his arms.

"Auggie, do you want some chocolate cake?" Topanga said enticingly.

At that, Auggie scrambled to sit up as quickly as he could and looked at Topanga.

She laughed. "I knew that would do the trick!" She went to sit next to Cory and took her husband's hand.

"We need to talk to you about this 'new baby' stuff," Cory said to Auggie. "Come here," he said, motioning onto his lap.

Auggie followed his father's hand motion and jumped onto his lap.

"Riley, you'd better come here too," Topanga said, looking up at Riley standing in the doorway.

"I think I'm a little old to sit on your lap," Riley said sourly.

"Hey, knock it off," Topanga scolded Riley. "I really don't think you're being the best role model for your brother."

"Sorry," Riley said, still holding onto a smidge of irritation.

Topanga ignored the still-present attitude in Riley's voice and turned to Auggie.

"Honey, remember when you told us you wanted a brother?"

"Yeah," Auggie said, still angry.

"Why did you want a brother?"

"I don't know," he began. "To play with and stuff."

"Well, you can play with the new baby once he or she gets older," Cory said.

"And you know, the new baby will really want to play with you. Because you know who's going to be the coolest person to play with?" Topanga asked him.

"Who?" Auggie asked, beginning to get excited.

"Let's see. Who's going to be the best big brother there ever was?" Topanga asked.

"Me!" Auggie exclaimed.

"That's right!" Cory said. Then he turned to Riley.

"And you know, if it's a girl, she's going to really look up to you. You'll be the cool older sister that can help with picking out clothes and doing hair. And if it's a boy, you'll be the one he goes to with his questions about girls," Cory said, laughing.

Riley caught herself smiling and then let out an exasperated sigh. "But why did you guys have a baby _now_?"

"It wasn't exactly something we planned, Riley," Topanga said. "And we'll get through it. Because we all love each other. And this new baby is only going to make us love each other more. Don't worry. Everything's going to be okay." She motioned for Riley to sit next to her, and she did.

Cory put his arms around his family and said, "No matter what happens, it could _never_ take away from how much we love you two. The baby will need a lot of attention, but we'll still make sure we have Auggie and Riley time."

"A lot of things are going to change, but they're going to be good changes," continued Topanga. "And we'll get to have a lot more time together as a family. So don't worry about this, guys. We love you." She reached her arms around her family and pulled them into a hug.

xxxxxxXxxxxxx

Meanwhile, in Riley's room…

Katy shut the door after Maya walked in.

"What was that?" Katy asked.

"Mom, I didn't do anything. All I did was say that-"

"No, Maya. You said that you wish you were Riley. That's what you said."

"No! Mom, I didn't say that!" Maya yelled.

"Well, it sure sounded like it. Now, I know I'm not the best mother in the world, but-"

"Stop it!" Maya interrupted. "I don't care if you're the worst mother, which you're not. I wouldn't trade you for anything. I don't blame you for Dad leaving. I don't blame you for working a lot. Why do you act like I hate you?"

Katy stopped and looked at Maya with concern. "That's what you think?" Katy asked with tears in her eyes. "I don't-I do not think you hate me."

"Then why are we having this conversation?" Maya asked, still yelling.

"I don't know, Maya," Katy said quietly. She sat on Riley's bed and looked up at Maya.

"I guess sometimes I don't feel like I'm the best for you. I think that you would be better off with some other family with two parents. I love you, Maya. I love you _so_ much. And I only want what's best for you."

Maya went to sit next to her mother. "Mom, there is nobody else I would rather have as my mother."

"Then why would you say that?" Katy asked, looking up at Maya again.

"I just wonder what it would be like if Dad didn't leave," Maya said solemnly. "Would I have a life like Riley? I don't know. So I guess I kind of blame him. He left us alone. He made it so that we can't have that. And I don't think that's fair."

"It's not fair," Katy said. "But you know what?" she said as she lifted her daughter's chin up. "He's missing out. Because you are the most thoughtful and wonderful and beautiful daughter I could ever have. So I don't want to you worry about that. And you know what else? You might not have your father there, but you have Mr. Matthews. You know he'll always be there for you. And Shawn," she began. At hearing his name, Maya quickly looked up.

"You've got him looking out for you too. You can always go to one of them if you need some fatherly advice. They would be more than happy to help you out," Katy said.

"I know," Maya said. "I do love you, Mom. I'm in the best place I could be. Besides, I don't want to be Riley. She doesn't get to have as much one on one with her family. And imagine how bad it would be to have a parent as a teacher," Maya said with laughter.

"Now, that's true," Katy said, chuckling. "I love you too, Maya." Katy hugged her daughter tightly.

xxxxxxXxxxxxx

In the kitchen…

After the rest of the party left, Angela and Shawn were the only ones in the kitchen.

"So," Shawn began.

"So," Angela replied.

"We've been ditched," Shawn said with a chuckle.

"Yep, they've moved on. Now what?" Angela asked.

"I don't know," he answered. "Maybe just catch up."

"Okay, well, how've you been?" she asked him.

"Good. You?"

"Good."

"So, uh, what have you been up to since you left with your dad?" Shawn asked.

"Well, we had a good time in Europe. It was really fun. We saw a lot of sights and ate at some pretty cool places. Then I came back to America and settled in Florida," Angela said, recalling her travels.

"Wow, Florida! That's cool. I bet it was nice weather down there by Orlando," he said, imagining the warmth.

"It was," Angela said, smiling to herself. "Beautiful."

"So what did you do after that?" Shawn asked.

"Oh, well I stayed in Florida for quite a few years. I got a writing job and really enjoyed my time there."

"So what made you leave?"

"Well, um, I just decided it was time to go," she said, looking away.

"Okay, I know you better than that. First, there's no way you would just leave a paradise. Second, that was an obvious cover-up," Shawn said, smiling at his still-present knowledge of her. "Why did you really leave?"

Angela studied Shawn's face for a few seconds and then sighed and put her head in her hands.

"What's wrong?" he asked her. He walked over to her and put his hand on her back to comfort her, but she jumped at the touch.

"Sorry!" she said. "I'm just not used to that."

"No, that's my fault. That was inappropriate."

"You're just trying to care for a friend," she said, looking up at him. Then she sighed again and said, "I left because I couldn't stand the memories that I'd made there."

"What are you talking about?" Shawn asked, confused.

"Shawn, I got married there," she said.

"What?" He backed away from her and ran into a chair. "What- I mean who-how did-"

"Shawn, it was a quick thing. I didn't expect it. But before I knew it, he asked me to marry him, and I said yes. Please don't overreact. It was quite a few years after I left, and I thought enough time had passed for me to find someone else. So when I met Mark, I thought it was okay."

"No, you're right," he said, trying to convince himself. "It's none of my business. It's your life."

"I didn't invite anyone except a few people I'd met there to the wedding. Not even Topanga knows about this. I wasn't really in communication with any of you guys then. I'm sorry you had to find out like this," she said, looking over at him as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"What happened? Why aren't you married now?" Shawn asked quietly.

"Well, he was in the army and he was taken to Afghanistan. He died in battle."

"Angela, I'm so sorry," Shawn said, slowly making his way back to her.

"It's okay, Shawn. I'm better now."

"But losing your dad and then him- you can't possibly be okay," he said, still walking to her.

Angela stood up and said, "I can be strong, you know."

"I know," he said. "But you can only take that so far before you need somebody to help you." He was right next to her now.

"I don't," she said.

"That's why you came here. You need us. And you know it. I know it," Shawn said quietly, standing close to her and looking into her deep brown eyes.

Angela only stared back for a moment and then slowly and gently nodded.

"That's good, though. Because we need you too," he said.

They stood close to each other, their hands nearly touching.

Loud walking in the hallway interrupted the former couple, and they quickly jumped away from each other to watch Cory and Topanga leading Auggie and Riley back into the room.


	13. The Super Spy's Adventures

"Umm…" Cory began after seeing Angela and Shawn jump. "What's going on out _here_?" he asked, slightly smiling. Topanga took Auggie's hand, went to sit down, and pulled Auggie onto her lap; Riley stood by her.

"We were just talking," Shawn said, glancing nervously at Angela.

"Uh, huh," Cory said, obviously not believing Shawn. He walked over to the table to collect his gifts and then, still eyeing Shawn and Angela suspiciously, went to his room. He passed Katy and Maya in the hallway and smiled at them.

Riley, who had been looking around for Maya, immediately went to her as soon as she saw her.

"Maya, where were you?" she asked.

"I was just talking to my mom," Maya answered.

"Well," Riley began. She looked around to see that nobody was watching her, and then whispered hoarsely, "We've got some bad news. Come on to my room."

"But I was just there!" Maya whined as Riley pulled her arm toward the hallway. Cory then walked passed them and asked, "Where are you two going?"

"My room!" Riley shouted as she passed her father.

Cory walked back out into the kitchen and then sat at the table, staring at Shawn and Angela, again with a small smile.

"What?" Shawn asked.

"Oh, nothing," Cory said, smiling and looking away.

Shawn sighed and then went next to Cory and said, "Can I talk to you- in private?"

"Sure," Cory said happily, following Shawn to the hallway.

This left only Topanga, Katy, Auggie, and Angela in the kitchen.

"Was there something going on out here?" Katy asked Angela and Topanga.

"No, Shawn and I were just talking, that's all," Angela answered.

"Well, Cory seems to think it was something else," Katy replied.

"It was kind of interesting to walk out here and see you two so jumpy. Obviously _something _happened that you didn't want us to see," Topanga said to Angela.

"Topanga!" Angela scolded her.

"What? It's true!" Topanga said. "Angela, we used to be able to tell each other anything."

"I know," Angela said sadly, looking down. "And I suppose we should include you in our little pact, Miss Katy Hart," Angela said, smiling at Katy. "I mean, after all, you're important to the Matthews, so you're important to me." This made Katy smile. "So what do you say? You want in?"

"Yeah," Katy said, now grinning at Topanga and Angela.

"Okay," Angela said, exhaling loudly. "Well, then I guess I'd better speak."

"Yep," Topanga said, smiling curiously. "Hey, Auggie, you'd better run off and play in your room."

"Aww!" Auggie whined. "I don't want to be by myself!"

Topanga looked at her son and sighed. "Fine, you can stay. But you _cannot_ repeat what you hear, do you understand?"

Auggie nodded and pretended to zip his mouth shut.

Angela began her story. "After you guys left, it was kind of awkward. We started some small talk, and it led into what I did in Europe. And that led to my story."  
>"What story?" Topanga asked. "Oh, and to clear up," she began, looking at Katy. "Angela left for Europe with her dad right before we came to New York. By the time she came back, I was already pregnant with Riley. A lot had happened, and we kind of lost touch in the busyness. Okay, continue!" she said to Angela.<p>

"Well, I got back and then moved to Florida. Then I met someone and got married," Angela said quickly, squinting her eyes in preparation for the lash-out from Topanga.

"You what?!" Topanga shrieked and stood up. "Angela! How could you not tell me this?!"

Angela sighed and then said, "Because I was only married for a little while. He went to war and was killed in battle."

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry," Topanga said, sitting back down. "But I'm still kind of mad that you never told me!"

"I know," Angela said. "I thought about calling…"

"Why didn't you?" Topanga asked.

"I don't know. I guess I just thought you were too busy. I mean, I heard that you'd had Riley, and I knew you didn't need the extra stress," Angela said.

Topanga walked to Angela and made her stand up so she could hug her tightly. Katy watched the two former best friends and then said, "Angela, what happened next?"

Topanga released Angela from her hug and said, "Yeah, what else did you say to Shawn?"

"Well, after I told him about that, he kind of got all sad too. I know he wanted to help me, but he didn't know how. And we just kept getting closer, and-"

"You kissed?!" Auggie shouted.

"No!" Angela answered quickly.

"Phew!" Auggie said.

Topanga gave him a weird look and asked, "Why did you say 'phew?'"

Auggie's eyes got wide and he said, "No kissing in the house!"

"Auggie, what about your parents?" Angela asked, amused.

"They don't count. They kiss all the time. I'm used to it. But no one else!" Auggie answered, shaking his finger.

"Okay!" Angela answered, still amused.

"I gotta go!" Auggie shouted. He turned around and ran into the hallway.

"Well, that was weird," Angela said.

"What's he up to?" Katy asked, suspicious of Auggie.

"Oh, who knows. I kind of have a motto: if it doesn't hurt anyone, then let 'em have fun," Topanga said.

Katy and Angela started laughing.

Auggie ran to Riley's room and burst in.

"I have news!" he shouted.

"What is it?" Riley asked him.

"I know what happened when we walked in and Shawn and Angela were there!"

"That's perfect, Auggie!" Maya exclaimed.

"So what happened?" Riley asked.

"Well, I can't tell."

"What?!" Riley cried. "What are you talking about? Auggie, come on!"

"Mommy said I can't tell _anyone_. That includes you. If you want me to tell, it'll cost you!" Auggie said, crossing his arms.

"Auggie!" Riley whined.

Maya walked slowly to Auggie with her arms crossed and then stood towering over him. "Auggie," she said, in a low voice. "This is important. And you'd better tell us. There's no more payment for answers, or you aren't a part of the team. Understand?"

"Okay, okay, don't hurt me!" Auggie cried, covering his face with his arms. Satisfied, Maya smiled and walked over to Riley's bed to sit.

"What do you know?" Riley asked.

"Mommy was talking to Angela and asked her what happened," he began.

"Okay, go on," Maya encouraged.

"And then Angela and Mommy and your mom," he said, pointing at Maya, "Got into a pact."

"What kind of pact?" Maya asked.

"I don't know, some girl pact."

"Auggie, what was it?" Riley asked.

"I don't know! Do you want me to continue or not?" Auggie asked.

"Yeah, go," Riley said.

"Okay," he said, looking around at the entranced girls. "Then Angela told about how she went to some place and got married."

"What?!" Riley cried out.

"She got married?!" Maya exclaimed.

"Yeah," Auggie said, un-phased by the information. "Then she said that he died in war."

"Oh my gosh!" Riley gasped.

"That's horrible!" Maya said.

"Yep," Auggie said, eager to continue. "Then she said he told Shawn and he got all sad."

"Aw!" Riley said.

"And then they got closer," Auggie said, slowly moving his hands together, "And closer. And closer. Until…" Auggie said. Then he clapped his hands.

"They kissed?!" Riley cried.

"No, but they almost did," Auggie said.

"Then why did you clap?" Maya said, exhaling with relief.

"Because that's when we all came in and it scared them and they jumped away."

Riley sighed and face-palmed. "Okay, did you find out anything else?"

"Nope," Auggie said.

"Wait a minute," Maya began. "If my mom and your mom and Angela are alone, where's your dad and Shawn?"

Riley's eyes got wide and she cried out, "Go spy, Auggie! Find them! They're probably talking about it too! Go!"

Auggie opened the door quickly and ran out, slamming the door behind him. He ran to Shawn's room and found the door closed. He sat at the door and put his head against it to hear the conversation.

"But Shawnie, can't you just admit you still have feelings for her?"

"No, because even if I did, I know that she doesn't, so it wouldn't matter."

"Obviously she does still have feelings for you- you almost kissed!"

"No, we didn't."

"Shawnie, I saw you. If we had taken a few more minutes, you probably would have been making out on the couch!"

At this, Auggie scrunched his face up in disgust.

"Cory, stop. That's not true and you know it."

"I don't think so. I've always believed in Topangela. And it worked out for me, so now it's time to work out for you."

"Yeah, but Topanga stayed for you when she could have left. Angela did leave with her dad. They made two different choices."

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that you're a little torn."

"What are you talking about, Cory?"

"Well, I think you love her. But you don't think she feels the same way. You're scared."

"Cory, I don't love her."

"Then what was that out there?"

"I don't know. I guess I was just caught up in the past. I think seeing her after all these years just took me back, you know?"

"Yeah, I felt that too. I kind of felt like we were back in college a little bit."

"Yeah!"

"But I still don't believe that you don't love her."

"I don't!"

"Prove it!"

"I have feelings for someone else!"

It was quiet for a few moments.

"Who is it?"

"Cory, I'm not going to tell you. Because then the same thing will happen with this one."

"What'll happen?"

"You'll freak out over it, try to get us together, and then she'll leave."

"Shawn, you've got to get out of that mindset. Just have hope. Me and Topanga went through a lot of-"

"I'm not you! There is no Topanga for me! Stop comparing us!"

It was silent again.

"I'm sorry, Shawnie. I just want you to be happy."

"Me too."

"Can't you tell me who she is? I promise I won't be crazy."

There was a sigh. Then there was a very quiet, low voice that Auggie couldn't make out.

"I knew it! I knew it!" Cory exclaimed.

"No, Cory, no!"

"No, you're right. I need to calm down. But oh my gosh, Shawnie! It's perfect!"

"I don't want to hear anything about it. At _all_. I just want you to forget I told you."

"I will, Shawnie."

"Now let's go back out there. We've been in here for a suspicious amount of time."

"You're right. Let's go."

Auggie gasped and jumped up just as the door opened.

"Auggie?" Cory asked. "What're you doing, Bubba?"

"Nothing!" he exclaimed. "I just got tired and had to sit down."

"You got _tired_ walking down the _hallway_?" Shawn questioned him.

"Yep, it's a long hallway."

"Uh, huh," Shawn said as Auggie ran toward Riley's room.

Shawn gave Cory a look. "Do you think he heard?"

"I don't know, Shawn. But either way, what's a six-year-old going to do?" Cory reasoned.

"Yeah, you're right," Shawn said as they walked back into the kitchen.

**So that was a pretty fun chapter to write. I hope you guys liked it! Please review! Also, I hope you caught the BMW reference. It was pretty subtle, but if you caught it, let me know! :) **


	14. Maya's Reaction

Riley and Maya were waiting impatiently when Auggie burst through the door.

"Auggie, what happened? Did you find Dad and Shawn?" Riley asked quickly.

"Yeah!"

"Well, what did they say?!" Maya urged.

Auggie took a second to catch his breath and then exhaled loudly.

"Okay, so they were in Shawn's room with the door closed and I sat outside and listened," Auggie began. "They were talking about what happened, and Shawn said 'I don't love her!' and Daddy didn't believe him."

"He said he doesn't love her?" Riley questioned.

"Riley!" Maya said, looking excitedly at her best friend. "He was probably talking about Angela!"

"Yeah, he said her name a couple times," Auggie added.

"Oh my gosh!" Riley exclaimed. "Do you know what this means?!"

"It means our plan has a chance!" Maya cried with relief. She jumped up and Riley joined her to dance in celebration. They screamed with delight as they danced.

"Wait, that's not all," Auggie said, interrupting the girls.

"Oh, this is great!" Riley said. "Did he say he doesn't want to date her? Or that he only sees her as a friend?" Riley's excitement caused the girls to begin to scream again.

"Not exactly."

They stopped and looked at him, their smiles beginning to fade.

"What did he say?" Maya asked.

"He said he loves someone else," Auggie said solemnly.

"What?" Maya said, confused and upset.

"And then Daddy said that he knew it and that they're perfect together."

"Well, who is it?" Riley asked.

"I don't know. I couldn't hear who it was. And then they came out of the room after that."

"Great. He's probably dating some girl in some city he wrote for," Maya said, sitting back down again with hurt in her eyes.

"Maya, we don't know that," Riley said, going to Maya to comfort her.

"Who else would it be?" Maya asked. "We probably haven't even heard of the girl. If he loves her then they must be pretty serious." She sat silently for a second, thinking. "Gosh, how did we not see it before? He's not interested in Angela, and he's not interested in my mom."

Riley didn't know what to say to help her friend. So she just put her arms around her and hugged her.

"Thank you, Auggie," Riley said, dismissing his services.

"Do you need my help?" he asked, feeling bad for Maya.

"No, Auggie. We're good here," Riley answered.

"But I think I could help," he said, trying to convince her.

"Auggie, you've done your part. The plan's done. Shawn loves someone else."

"You can't give up!" he pleaded.

Maya jumped up angrily and yelled, "Auggie! It's over! There's no more plan! We don't need you here!"

Auggie turned quickly and ran out of the room, upset at Maya's words.

"Maya!" Riley yelled. "How could you say that to him?"

"Riley, it's done! We don't need a spy, we don't need these dumb secret meetings, and we don't need to plan! Let it go!" she fired back.

"Well, you could have been nicer about it."

"I'm upset, okay? I don't care if I could have been nicer! There's nothing to hope for now! The plan didn't work!"

"That doesn't give you a reason to yell at my little brother," Riley said angrily. She shook her head at Maya and walked out, leaving the door mostly shut and Maya alone in the room.

"Auggie!" Riley called after him, running quickly down the hallway.

Maya watched Riley run out and then realized what she'd done. She'd yelled at an innocent six-year-old boy who just wanted to help her out. He's a little kid that looks up to her. Then when his sister tried to reason with her, she fired at her too. Now they were both mad at her.

Maya sighed and then began to cry. She didn't know how it started, but tears began rolling down her face. She let her legs collapse and she sat on the floor wondering why things never worked out for her. Her crying increased to sobs as she let out the pain of everything that she'd been holding onto inside.

She thought about how she was alone at home most days because her mom worked all the time. She thought about how no boy at school liked her because she held onto a tough bad girl act. Then she thought about Riley and how lucky she was to have this wonderful family of two parents that loved each other so much, and soon to be two younger siblings born from them. But mostly she thought about how she didn't have a father. She thought about her real father, and his new family, and how he never cared to remember her. And about how Shawn was never going to be her father, no matter how much she wanted him to be.

After thinking about all these things, she was crying hysterically on Riley's floor. Makeup ran down her cheeks and her face became red and hurt from being scrunched up.

Suddenly she heard footsteps coming from the hallway and she quickly wiped her cheeks and sat up, trying to calm herself down.

The door opened and Cory appeared, trying to see what was going on. When he saw Maya sitting on the floor and how distraught she was, he gasped and ran over to her.

"Maya! What's wrong?!" he asked frantically.

"Nothing," Maya said, still wiping her swollen eyes.

"Do you want me to get your mom?" he asked her.

"No!" Maya said, holding her hand out at him. "Please don't tell her."

"Maya, you need to tell me what's going on right now or I'm going to go get her," he said seriously.

Maya tried to stand and felt lightheaded, nearly falling over. Cory held his hand out to help her up.

"Thanks," she said, sniffling.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know," she said. She could feel tears coming back, so she blinked them away. "Nothing's going right. I guess I just needed to let it out."

"Maya, you need to talk to somebody. If you don't want to talk to me, then fine, but I'm here to listen."

She looked at her teacher, her best friend's dad, and remembered all the times he'd been there for her when she needed someone. There was the father-daughter dance at school when he danced with her, the time he bought her a new cell phone and art supplies, just in the last few months. "Yeah, I do want to talk."

He walked over to the window and sat down. He patted the seat next to him and Maya sat down.

"Tell me what's up," he said.

"Well, I just started thinking about everything that's been going on lately, and I just lost it," she said, sighing. "I guess I'm pretty weak, huh?" she asked.

"Maya, you are one of the strongest people I know. Crying doesn't make you weak. What were you thinking about?"

She said, "About my dad. And his new family. He doesn't even write, you know?" she said, tears beginning to fall once again.

Cory felt horrible about Maya's situation and didn't really know what to say.

"I know, Maya. It's not your fault."

"I know that," she said. "Sometimes. But then I think that there was only two of us to begin with, and it had to be one of us that drove him away." She began crying hard again.

"Maya-" he began. Before he could say anything, Maya had wrapped her arms around his shoulders and was hugging him tightly, crying on his shoulder. Cory put his left hand on her head and his right arm around her back to comfort her. "It's okay," he said quietly.

Maya began crying even harder after hearing him say that. Having Cory around was great- he took her under his wing as if she was his own daughter. She would always love him like a father for that reason. But hearing him say that made her think that it should be her own father comforting her.

She cried for a few minutes until she settled down a little. The hard crying was over. Cory thought that she would want to sit up, but she continued to hug him tightly, rocking back and forth.

There were more footsteps and then Topanga appeared at the door.

"There you are!" she said cheerily, walking into the room. Then she saw what was going on and stopped in her path.

"Cory, what's wrong?" she asked, walking over to sit next to Cory.

Cory looked painfully at Topanga and didn't say anything.

Topanga's brow crinkled and she said, "Should I go get Katy?"

Cory shook his head.

"Maya? Sweetie?" Topanga said, softly rubbing Maya's back.

There was no answer. The crying had ceased.

Topanga looked behind Cory's shoulders and saw that Maya's eyes were closed.

"She's sleeping," Topanga said quietly.

Cory closed his eyes and sighed.

"What happened?" Topanga whispered.

"I don't know," Cory said. "I was walking by and I heard someone crying. I came in and she was sitting on the floor crying hysterically. I tried to talk to her, but all she told me was that she was upset about her dad."

"Well something must have happened," Topanga said.

"I know," he answered. "But I don't know what. Although I bet I know someone who does."

Topanga nodded, understanding him. "Should I go get Riley?" she asked.

"No. I think we should let her sleep. She's calm. If Riley comes in and makes noise, it'll wake her up and make her upset again."

Topanga nodded again and asked, "Why can't we get Katy?"

"I don't know that either. But Maya was really against it. It must have something to do with Katy too."

Topanga sighed. "Why does all this have to happen to a sweet thirteen-year-old girl? Why does she deserve this?"

Cory shook his head. "I'm glad we're here, though. If we weren't, I don't know who she'd go to if she can't go to her mom."

"Yeah," Topanga agreed. She leaned her head on Cory's shoulder and scooted close to him. He put his head down on hers in response.

"I hope we do the right thing," Cory said.

"I know," Topanga said, looking worried. "Do you really think we shouldn't tell Katy?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Well, Maya's obviously trying to protect Katy. She must think that this will hurt her. I think that when Maya wakes up, we should talk to her about it and decide from there," Cory answered.

Topanga leaned up and kissed Cory tenderly.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"You're amazing," she said quietly.

Cory smiled a small smile at her and kissed her again.

"I couldn't do it without you."

**Okay, so that was a pretty intense chapter. I hope you liked it, even though it was sad. Please review and let me know what you think!**


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